The Challenge

Addicted

By 2008, BlackBerry was the leading smartphone brand, but
RIM was fighting a negative stereotype that had attached to it:
"CrackBerry" – an enabler of workaholism. To appeal to
mid-level Federal employees, RIM needed to convince
them that improving professional effectiveness would deliver
personal benefits, but without reinforcing the negative stereotype
or implying that government-purchased devices are for personal use.

The Solution

Micro Means Focused

O'Keeffe & Company created a central message reflecting these values:
"Make more time at work. Leave more time for your life." The team
developed a microsite featuring BlackBerry smartphone and accessory
offers, and leveraged a targeted mix of print, online, D.C. Metro,
and bus terminal advertising to drive awareness of the microsite.
The campaign also included a series of field events in Federal
commuter-heavy areas – providing iced coffee, free polo shirts, and
more than 32,000 postcards encouraging commuters to visit the smartphone
offer page.

The Result

I Heart You

The campaign increased D.C. Federal worker preference for the
Blackberry brand by 18 percent. Microsite traffic exceeded all
expectations, drawing 54,623 unique visitors by campaign's end,
as well as more than 18,200 visits to its smartphone offers page.
Finally, the field events literally touched more than 35,000 D.C.
commuters, not including passersby.